I will never forget this experience and it is what I will keep telling people about it. It was an awful incidence and I believe it was my stubbornness that led me to be duped, and not just with any money, but my school fees. A day I will never forget but it was a lesson from that day onward.
Whenever I hear people being duped or scammed, I will remember mine and will feel so pity of the victims because I know how it feels like to be duped of your own money. Probably it was charm that day, who would have known, but something strong in me says that then.
I just gained admission into the University then and it was a day to visit my beautiful school as a student. My Dad saw me off to the park and saw that I boarded a car in his presence. While waiting for other passengers to come in, I was on my phone chatting and suddenly a message popped up from my Instagram account and this fellow introduced a business to me, telling me I would get ×3 of what I invested on. Who doesn't want money? And then, I was still a novice and didn't know anything, but I quickly chatted my elder Sister up and also introduced this unknown investment to her but her mind wasn't interested. She sternly warned me not to do it. If she had known, she wouldn't have sent my acceptance and school fees to me, probably that would be my excuse of not having money but something that will descend on me couldn't stop talking to me to go for it.
I ignored my sister and focused on getting back more money to flaunt in the school. We started talking and told him I was interested. So, when I got to school, I stayed with someone pending the time, my roommate will also come to school so we can both rent an apartment. The next day, I went to school to start my registration and pay necessary dues. After doing all I needed to do, I went to one of the school lecture halls to wait for the lady I was squatting with.
That was when the business transaction was going on. The guy told me to send 5k ($12) so it will be doubled to 15k ($36), I immediately sent it not knowing who I was dealing with physically. I waited for him because according to him, it will take 15minutes to process it and send to my account.
After 15mins, he chatted back and said the system no longer accepts 5k, that I should add another 5k to it (it was like a charm) and without arguing with him, I sent again. After some minutes, he then assured me I was going to receive my money that I need to send another 5k so we would be on a safer side. Just like charm, I sent the third money to him. This time around, I waited for him to chat me up and it was taking too long than I expected. He didn't say anything, I was feeling some sweat from my inner self when I stood up to start going home. I kept trying his number but not going. I thought the number wasn't going through, I waited for some minutes. I was on the bike when his number went through and when he picked it, the statement he gave me made my eyes opened, I knew I have been scammed. He said "Why are you disturbing me, you are very stupid". I couldn't cry out on the bike. I got home, everything about me changed. My mood went to another level of anger. No one could even say anything to me seeing how frustrated and peevish I was that day. All I kept thinking was "Haaa, my school fees". The money left on me was able to cover my acceptance and school fees but I will suffer for my survival because this was my pocket money that was taken from me. Had I known, I would have listened to my sister and stayed on my lane but that spirit dealt hardly on me.
Since then, I have always been avoiding the phrase "Had I known". This phrase is so strong and regrettable that if you are not careful, you might lose your life. Don't ever go through the easiest and smooth ways of getting money because the end of it is regret.
Proverbs 14:12 says "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death".
This is something to learn from. You don't have to walk in your own ways, thinking things would go well with you. Never try to destroy another man's life just because you want to attain the height of success. Don't involve in things that would eventually ruin your future, because the end is not always good. You might think you will escape, but nemesis will come when you do not expect it. Don't play with your future thinking Karma isn't effective. Karma will come for you.
This is painful and annoying. I can honestly relate to it not because I was super but because I always get Instagram messages from these bunch. So sorry about it. Lessons learned and I am sure nothing of such would ever bother you again because you won't even entertain it.